Effectiveness of Muay Thai

I've just started taking Muay Thai lessons at a relatively new gym dedicated to Muay Thai here in Singapore. My interest in Muay Thai stems from the stuff I always hear about it like how it's the most brutal martial art et al.

How does Muay Thai really measure up against other forms of Martial Arts as well as on the streets? Where can I go on the net to find out more on Muay Thai?

Onetrackmind

'There isn't so much of a fine line between assertiveness and arrogance as there is a gray area of coincidence'

I study Muay Thai and find it pretty effective. I also study JKD and Wing Chun, and I have studied other styles which complement the Muay Thai. As for it's effectiveness in a Street fight, I think Bruce Lee said it best 'Any style, if it teaches you how to handle yourself in a fight is worth while'. The only way to see if Muay Thai is an effective Fighting art for you (And I say for you because the effectiveness of a Style is not only the style, but the practitioner), is by engaging in Fights, although I am not much for street fighting unless I have to.

I won't bother trying to compare MT to other martial arts, but it is very effective all around as a standup art.

Chris Sanders

It's an excellent stand up game.

Cross train with grappling.

Train for the street with an emphasis on explosiveness rather than endurance.

One or two minute rounds as opposed to longer.

Thirty second breaks in between.

Make 'em real vicious little rounds.

Lots of 'em three for times a week.

Once a week or so work on some grappling techniques and then put yourself through a long tedious grappling spar.

Prefferably with someone bigger and stronger.

Always remember your performance in a fight will be determined by how well you have been conditioned to fight from your training.

Hello

I've done a bit of Thai, but the terminology you used is unfamiliar to me. Could you describe the Clinching Curve Knee strikes so that I can know which ones they are?

Clinching curve knees are knee strikes where the striking surface of the knee is the inside bony portion of the knee, as opposed to the top of the knee. You 'open' your leg out to the side while clinched, then rotate your hips and slam your knee into your opponent. The target area is typically the upper thigh, hip, or floating ribs.